COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY BY TRANSILLUMINATION TO DETECT EARLY MELANOMA.

The authors present a noninvasive method based on three-dimensional (3-D) computed tomography (CT) of a nevus in situ by transillumination to detect melanoma in early stages. The nevus is transilluminated using fiber optics directed into the surrounding skin. Three images of the transilluminated nevus are obtained at different angles by an optical device called a 'nevoscope. ' A 3-D reconstruction of the nevus is then obtained using recently developed limited-view CT algorithms. A quantitative analysis may be performed on consecutive 3-D reconstructions to bring out any changes in thickness, size, color, and structure.